Audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment of the publishing industry and have been for over a decade. For the past ten years, audiobook sales have outpaced every other part of the industry.
Having an audiobook is no longer optional.
If your book isn’t available in audio format, readers may assume it was written by AI, since most books without audiobooks are low-quality, AI-generated works. An audiobook has become a kind of gold badge to show that a book was written by a real person because it’s read by a real person.
The easiest and most affordable way to turn your book into an audiobook is through ACX by Audible. But how does ACX work, and what are the pros and cons?
I asked Bryan Canter, author, independent publishing consultant, audiobook consultant, and retired Army officer.
What is ACX and how does it work?
Bryan: ACX stands for Audiobook Creative Exchange. It was originally developed by Audible before Amazon acquired the company. ACX was designed as a platform to connect authors with narrators. Most authors don’t have the skills or equipment to narrate their own audiobooks, so ACX brings them together with professionals who do. These narrators not only provide voice talent but also handle the technical aspects of recording and production.
Who should narrate their own audiobook?
Thomas: There are four kinds of authors.
- Those who have neither the desire nor the ability to narrate their audiobooks.
- Those who want to narrate but lack the ability (this group often gets into trouble).
- Those who have the ability but not the desire.
- Those who have both the ability and the desire.
Only the last group should narrate their own audiobooks. A poorly narrated audiobook can lead to many requests for refunds on Audible. I’ve personally returned books because the narration was so bad.
One example was Laws Very Different from Our Own, a fascinating exploration of different legal systems, such as the Pirates’ Code, Gypsy Code, and Hebraic laws. It was exactly the kind of nerdy book I’d love, but I think the author recorded it himself in a bathroom on his phone. It was so hard to listen to that I asked for a refund, even though I wanted to finish it. The performance was so poor that it might have been better if AI had done the narration, which is sad to say.
Bryan: I’ve seen that too. I was reading an ebook about health that also had an audiobook version. It was a New York Times bestseller, but the first three reviews were all three-star ratings that said, “Great content, but the author should never have narrated this.” Even with a professional production team, she didn’t have the skillset or vocal control for it.
In one of your courses, you drew a distinction between self-publishing and independent publishing: self-publishing means doing everything yourself, while independent publishing means working with professionals. Just as you wouldn’t design your own cover or skip hiring an editor, you shouldn’t cut corners on your audiobook. In fact, I think a bad audiobook is worse than having no audiobook at all because it can hurt future sales.
Thomas: There’s a book called The Gearhart that illustrates this well. The author wrote, narrated, scored, and mastered the audiobook himself. It’s impressive because he did the music, narration, production, and artwork, but some aspects weren’t great. The audio mastering wasn’t professional, and sometimes the music overpowered the narration.
Unless you’re that kind of polymath, you’ll get a much better product by working with professionals. Hiring an audiobook narrator is one of the easiest ways to improve quality without buying expensive equipment.
Bryan: That’s the beauty of ACX. There aren’t many platforms that connect authors with narrators. Authors Republic does it, but ACX lets you post projects and hold open auditions.
How can you find the right narrator for your audiobook?
Bryan: There are over 300,000 narrator-producers on ACX. You upload a short audition script with notes, and narrators submit samples. It’s like a competition. You get to hear different takes on your material and choose the one that fits best. This not only helps you find hidden talent but can also keep costs down since narrators know they’re competing for the job.
Thomas: Competition helps you find the best value. You might compare someone charging $150 per finished hour to another charging $400, and the quality difference may not justify the higher rate. You can listen and decide which one offers the best mix of price and performance.
The only time I’d recommend a high-priced, celebrity narrator is if they bring their own audience, like Michael Kramer in the fantasy genre. He’s booked out for a year and costs hundreds of dollars per hour. Most authors don’t need that level of narration. There are plenty of narrators who are skilled, affordable, and available now.
It’s not about being the best in the world; it’s about finding someone better than you would be behind the mic.
Bryan: The woman who narrated my audiobook Daughter of the Gods is a stage actress from England. The story is set in fourth-century Scotland, so I wanted someone with a British accent. She’s a talented professional who had to leave the stage because she has a special-needs child and needed a more flexible schedule. She turned to audiobook narration as something she could do from home.
I prefer listening to her narration more than hearing my own inner voice while reading the book. She did a phenomenal job, and you can often find that level of talent on ACX.
Step 1: Read Your Book Aloud (or have it read to you)
Thomas: Let’s walk through the process. Suppose I’ve decided to use ACX. What’s the first step in turning my Word document or PDF into an audiobook?
Bryan: Before you even upload your manuscript, make sure your book reads well out loud. Some books aren’t written to be heard. A simple first step is to read your manuscript aloud. You’ll catch awkward phrasing or sentences that look fine on the page but sound strange when spoken.
I also like to use ElevenLabs Reader to have the manuscript read to me. That helps me identify and fix any clunky wording. It’s great for editing and for preparing the text for audio.
Thomas: That’s especially helpful if you learned to read through sight reading rather than phonics. People who learned phonics tend to have more lyrical writing because they hear words in their heads differently. It’s not your fault if you didn’t learn that way, but you can compensate by listening to your book read aloud.
ElevenLabs will read it in a flattering, natural way, while your computer’s built-in reader will sound more robotic. Either works. The key is to listen for awkward spots and fix them now, while your book is still a Word or Scrivener document. Once your narrator starts recording, changes become expensive and time-consuming.
Bryan: Making those edits improves your book overall. Even for readers, a smoother rhythm and flow make the story more enjoyable.
Setting up an ACX account is simple because it’s part of Amazon’s ecosystem. You use the same login and password. One prerequisite for starting an audiobook project on ACX is that your book must already be listed for sale on Amazon.
If you want all versions (ebook, print, and audiobook) to launch simultaneously, the easiest solution is to set your ebook up for pre-order. That’s enough for ACX to recognize the title and let you start your project.
Thomas: That’s one reason I recommend long pre-order windows, especially for debut authors. It gives you time to polish your Amazon page and get the audiobook produced.
I built a tool called the Amazon Page Optimizer that analyzes Amazon pages and gives feedback for improvement. You can even use it on pre-order pages.
Amazon Page Optimizer
Step 2: Prepare Your Audition Script
Bryan: The next step is preparing your audition script. You’ll create two documents: the script and the notes. There’s an audition script with audition notes, and later you’ll have the full audiobook script with production notes.
The audition script should be short. You’ll want only three to five minutes of audio, or about three pages of text. It doesn’t have to be continuous; you can pull from two or three short scene segments.
For fiction, you’ll want to include your key character voices. You want to hear how narrators handle different personalities and tones.
Thomas: The Character Compendium in the Patron Toolbox lists all your characters and generates audiobook profiles for them. It’s not perfect, but it gets you about 80% of the way there. You can then tweak details, like adjusting an accent from Irish to Scottish so that your narrators get clear direction. That way, they have a helpful starting point rather than guessing and getting it wrong.
Character Compendium
Bryan: Remember that the narrator doing the audition doesn’t have your full manuscript. They only have that short script, so your notes are vital. I’ve used that Character Compendium tool myself for my latest audiobook, and it was invaluable.
You don’t need to share every character but do share the ones included in the audition script. Focus on the most important or distinctive voices. Include brief notes on tone, accent, and personality. That context helps narrators make the right choices.
Thomas: You should also include some narration, not just dialogue. You want to hear how the narrator handles exposition and transitions. Keep in mind that shorter is better because you’ll have multiple auditions to review. Listening to 10 or 20 five-minute samples can take a long time.
Unlike visuals, where you can quickly scan through images, you’ll have to listen to each audio sample in real time. Still, it’s better to include all your key characters than to leave one out. Using multiple short scenes is a great way to cover variety without overwhelming yourself.
Bryan: I usually receive around 40 auditions in a week. Some you can eliminate after just a few seconds of listening, but narrowing down to your top five or eight takes time. You’ll replay those several times before making a decision. Shorter samples make that process much easier.
Thomas: ACX used to limit projects to a single narrator. Can you have multiple narrators? For example, can you audition a man for male characters and a woman for female characters?
Can you do multicast narration on ACX?
Bryan: You can do multicast, but it has to come from the producer’s side. Some producers audition as a team and deliver multicasts that way. What you cannot do is post individual roles on ACX and then merge those auditions into a single project.
Right now, listener surveys indicate most listeners prefer a single narrator over multicast. The main exception is some romance titles with alternating point-of-view chapters. In those, one narrator reads the “his” chapters and another reads the “her” chapters. Outside of that, single-narrator projects are generally preferred.
Thomas: It depends on your audience. I grew up on Adventures in Odyssey and have no problem with multicast. My kids are getting into it now, and those audio dramas have aged well. If you have children or grandchildren, get them a subscription. It is a long-running radio-play series with only dialogue and sound design. The writing includes descriptive cues in the dialogue to paint the scene for listeners.
But that is different from what we are discussing. We are talking about straight reads of a book by a narrator.
How should you build audition scripts for a single narrator?
Bryan: Since you will almost always hire a single narrator, design your audition script to test their range. If you plan to hire a male narrator, include several distinct female characters and put them in dialogue with each other. You want to hear how well he differentiates multiple female voices, not just whether he can do one. The same applies in reverse for a female narrator. Make sure your script also includes a bit of narration, not just dialogue.
Thomas: In general, I recommend matching the narrator’s gender to the protagonist. If your lead is male, use a male narrator; if your lead is female, use a female narrator. Do you find that is most common?
Bryan: Yes. Surveys suggest about 58% of listeners prefer male narrators, often because men can more convincingly perform a range of female voices, but matching the narrator to the protagonist still makes sense. My first two books had close third-person female protagonists, and I definitely wanted a female narrator.
Step 3: Choose a Price Bin on ACX
Thomas: After cutting the obvious “no”s, you might end up with two or three strong finalists. How do you pick the gold when there is no silver?
Bryan: First, a step back on setup. When you create the project, ACX pulls metadata like your description and categories from your Amazon listing. You will also choose a price bin for auditions, which is quoted per finished hour (PFH):
- $50–100
- $100–200
- $200–400
- $400–1,000
Everything is paid by finished hours, not studio hours. If the finished audiobook is ten hours, payment is for ten hours regardless of the time invested.
A common mistake is selecting a price bin that’s too high. Over the past four years, I have run about 35 audiobook projects for multiple clients, and we always post in the $100–200 PFH range. I have never had an author fail to find a narrator they were happy with. Typically, you will have several excellent options. Do not start in the $400–1,000 range unless there is a specific, high-ROI reason.
Thomas: That extra money is usually better spent on marketing. If you are accepting auditions, you are not hiring a narrator for their fan base. A skilled narrator at $150 PFH is often the best approach.
Is the royalty share worth it?
Bryan: ACX offers to alternatives to paying all production costs up front: royalty share and royalty share plus (a small upfront payment plus shared royalties). I strongly advise against these options if you can avoid them. You will receive fewer and lower-quality auditions because narrators have no guarantee of recouping their time. A ten-hour audiobook often takes about 6.2 production hours per finished hour, which comes to roughly 60 hours of work. If the book sells only a handful of copies, the narrator is effectively unpaid. Paying PFH will get you better auditions, and you own the result.
Thomas: If money is tight, consider running a Kickstarter to fund the audiobook and reward backers with the finished audio. Failing that, royalty share or royalty share plus can be better than going into debt. I do not recommend putting audiobook production on a credit card.
Bryan: Royalty share plus can be a compromise because the narrator has a baseline guarantee. But you will still see many weak auditions. Paying PFH attracts stronger talent.
Does using ACX require Audible exclusivity?
Bryan: Any royalty-share option locks you into Audible exclusivity for seven years so the narrator-producer can share in royalties. If you pay PFH, you are free to go nonexclusive from the start and distribute anywhere you want.
Thomas: Using ACX does not obligate you to be exclusive with Audible. There is strong pressure to choose exclusivity because it increases your royalty rate, but it is not required unless you select a royalty-share deal.
Some authors realize after a few years that they want a different narrator for a sequel or want to redo the first book for consistency. If you are in a royalty share agreement, you cannot do that. The first narrator keeps their seven years of royalties regardless, which limits your flexibility.
As an audiobook listener, I find it painful when a series changes narrators midstream. It’s like when a TV show replaces an actor instead of writing the character out of the show. You feel like the new person is an imposter. Multiply that by every character, and it becomes jarring.
Can you tell the potential narrators if your book is the first in a series?
Thomas: Can you note during the audition that this is the first in a series and that the narrator will likely be invited back?
Bryan: Absolutely. When you post your title for audition, there’s a notes section where you can include information like your marketing plan or awards. That’s also the perfect place to say, “This is the first book of a planned five-book series. If you’re selected, we’d like to continue working with you for the rest of the series.”
This is also another argument against multicast. Getting one narrator to return for multiple books over several years is hard enough. Coordinating an entire cast for that long is even more difficult.
Thomas: The husband-and-wife duo setup is one of the few exceptions that works well. For example, Michael Kramer and Kate Reading often narrate fantasy books together. They’re married in real life and record side by side, which is why their pronunciation of fantasy names is so consistent. If you can get one, you get both.
But if you have a large cast, it becomes complicated. If one narrator signs a SAG-AFTRA deal, you might have to renegotiate contracts for the whole cast. Keeping the production small is simpler, unless you’re recording all the books at once and locking in contracts for the entire series.
Step 4: Choose Your Narrator
Bryan: Once you narrow your auditions down to three to five strong contenders, there are a few ways to choose. First, look them up on Audible, not just ACX. On Audible, you can see how many books they’ve narrated and the genres they’ve worked in.
If two narrators are equally good, but one has fifty books and the other has five, go with the more experienced one. That person has proven reliability and understands ACX’s technical standards.
Thomas: You can also click on those Audible listings to see star ratings. Audible’s system is more detailed than Amazon’s. It includes separate scores for overall experience, performance, and story.
Some books have high performance ratings but low story scores, which means listeners loved the narrator but not the writing. Others are the reverse. This gives you insight into how well a narrator connects with listeners.
Remember that the book isn’t for you. You’ve already written it and probably heard it read aloud by AI or text-to-speech while editing. What matters is that your readers like the narrator. Choosing someone who’s already popular with listeners increases your chances of success.
You don’t need to poll your audience; too many opinions make the decision harder. However, you can use listener data as a tiebreaker.
Bryan: Another good tiebreaker is genre experience. If you wrote a historical fiction novel and one narrator has only done business books, they might struggle with character voices and tone. A narrator who’s already worked in your genre will better capture the atmosphere and emotional rhythm you need.
Step 5: Sign the Contract and Get Actual Rate
Bryan: You don’t pay the narrator right away. First, you sign a contract through ACX. Payment happens after production is complete.
When you reach this stage, you’ll have to choose a specific rate. Earlier, you posted your project within a price range, such as $100–$200 or $200–$400 per finished hour. Next, you message your finalists directly and ask their actual rate.
Some will quote higher numbers, but others may come in lower. I recently had two narrators quote me $150 and $120 per finished hour. That difference can influence your choice. I don’t always pick the cheapest, but if two are equally strong, price can be a deciding factor.
Thomas: That’s a smart approach. There’s a big cost difference between $200 and $400 per finished hour, so it’s worth asking.
How do you estimate the total number of finished hours for your audiobook?
Bryan: ACX gives you an estimate based on word count. When you enter your manuscript information, they divide the total number of words by an average of 9,300 words per finished hour.
You can calculate it yourself: take your manuscript’s total word count and divide it by 9,300. That gives you an approximate finished length.
So if your book is around 65,000 words, you’ll end up with roughly seven finished hours. If you’re paying $150 per finished hour, you can expect to spend about $1,050 total.
Keep in mind that different narrators read at different speeds. You’ll get a sense of that from their auditions. If one person’s sample takes six minutes and another takes seven and a half for the same passage, the slower reader’s final runtime will be longer and slightly more expensive.
Thomas: It’s interesting that audiobook narrators have a financial incentive to read slowly since they’re paid by the finished hour. I’ve noticed that the more professional they are, the slower they tend to speak. That’s why the Audible app has 1.5x and 2x speed options.
Narrators enunciate clearly, and you can safely speed them up without losing comprehension.
Step 6: Prepare Narration Script and Notes
Bryan: The next step is creating your narration script and narration notes. Just like your audition script, these guide the recording process.
Your narration script is usually the full manuscript. Include everything you want the narrator to say, and remove anything you don’t want read aloud. Don’t leave it to the narrator’s judgment. If you want the dedication read, include it. If you don’t, take it out.
Your notes will be a more detailed version of your earlier character compendium. Include background information for major characters, such as accents or speech styles, but don’t overdo it. If a bellman has two lines, let the narrator choose a suitable voice. But if you have, a Scottish character or a New York taxi driver, specify those details.
You’ll want to include some instruction like the following: “Insert a two- to three-second pause between scene changes within a chapter.” There will already be pauses between chapters, but listeners need a cue when scenes shift within a chapter. Without that pause, transitions can feel abrupt and confusing.
Thomas: Some audiobooks use sound effects or music, but the simplest and cheapest cue is just a pause.
Can authors include their own voice in an audiobook?
Thomas: What if I have a short letter to the reader or a dedication that I want to record in my own voice? I can’t narrate the whole novel, but I could read a two-minute message. Is that possible with ACX?
Bryan: Yes, but only through the narrator-producer. When you hire someone through ACX, they’re the only person who can upload audio files. You can’t upload anything directly.
If you want to include a personal note, dedication, or letter to the audience, tell your narrator. They can work with you to record your segment, then handle the post-production to meet ACX’s technical standards before inserting it into the final file.
Before you begin, make sure every chapter and section is clearly listed in your manuscript. Each one must be uploaded as a separate file by the narrator. ACX later combines these into a single audiobook file. Include all structural elements you want—such as introductions, afterwords, or “thank you” messages—and remove unnecessary ones like the title page or copyright page.
Thomas: If you must include legal information, move it to the end. Most professionally produced audiobooks place copyright details in the back matter. You want to start strong because Audible previews the first few minutes of your audiobook on its website. If that preview includes nothing but legal text and dedications, listeners will skip it.
Get to the story fast so they meet your characters right away.
How should you choose the retail audio sample?
Bryan: The preview Audible plays is called the retail audio sample. Authors can choose which section to use. I always tell authors to pick something dramatic. For novelists, that’s usually scene one or chapter one because it’s your hook.
Avoid using a foreword or dedication. The sample must be between one and five minutes long, contain no music, and avoid violent or explicit content since anyone can listen to it without buying the book. I have authors choose the specific section they want, like “Use the first three minutes of chapter one.”
Thomas: If you’re a novelist and you feel your first chapter isn’t interesting enough for the sample, that’s a sign your book needs revision. Every reader in a bookstore starts with the first page. If your opening doesn’t grab them, rewrite it before recording.
Nonfiction authors have a little more flexibility. You might choose a section later in the book that captures your key message or a particularly engaging story. But for fiction, hook your listener from the very first words.
Thomas: The chapter headers you create in your script become the chapters in the Audible app. The numbering can be confusing. If your audiobook starts with a preface, that becomes “Chapter 1” in the app, and your first real chapter becomes “Chapter 2.” Has Audible fixed that yet?
Bryan: That’s actually a metadata issue. You can name each section however you like—preface, dedication, chapter one, etc. Problems arise when producers let the system default to generic labels. Always double-check your metadata to ensure the chapter titles match the content.
Thomas: I’ve listened to professionally produced audiobooks from major publishers that still have bad metadata. It’s a common issue.
Step 7: Upload Narration Script
Bryan: Upload your script, and I recommend embedding notes directly in both the narration script and the audition script. You can upload a second document, but I prefer to place only the pertinent notes in the manuscript itself. If a chapter introduces new characters, add general guidance at the top and list those characters. If you write sci-fi or fantasy and use invented terms, include phonetic spellings for the words the narrator may not know.
Introduce a character or term only once. If it appears in chapter one, you do not need to repeat the note later. I highlight notes in yellow so that the narrator knows not to read them aloud.
Thomas: I have a Patron Toolbox tool called Glossary Builder that scans your book, finds unusual words, and defines them based on how you use them. You can use it to collect fantasy place names or sci-fi terms and add phonetic spellings. I also have a Location Compendium to help identify place names that might be tricky to pronounce.
When you receive the first chapter, listen right away and carefully. A common mistake is letting the narrator progress through multiple chapters while repeating a pronunciation error. If you wait until chapter eight to listen to chapter one, you may be asking for a large number of fixes, which frustrates everyone.
What is the ACX “first 15 minutes,” and how should you use it?
Bryan: By ACX contract, once you hire a narrator and upload your script and notes, the narrator produces a “first 15 minutes” sample. After you approve it, they can proceed and are not required to post anything until the entire project is finished.
I give authors two recommendations. First, instead of one continuous 15-minute sample, ask for a few short scene segments that cover all key voices or special elements. For example, one nonfiction author had a humming exercise in her book. She included that in both the audition script and the pre-approval sample to confirm how it would be performed.
Second, ask the narrator, politely, if they are willing to upload chapters as they finish them. It is not required by contract, but it benefits both parties. If I catch an error in chapter two, it is far easier to correct at that time than after recording the entire book and trying to fix it later.
For example, in one of my books I used military rank abbreviations like MAJ for major. The narrator read them literally as “M-A-J.” I then clarified all military acronyms and how I wanted them spoken.
Thomas: James L. Rubart tells a story about a Washington town he named in his novel. The narrator mispronounced it throughout a book. Locals noticed immediately, and it broke the immersive reading experience. Early chapter delivery would have caught it. Regional pronunciations matter, especially when characters are supposed to be from that region.
As you review, avoid micromanaging performance. You are an author, not an audio producer. The narration is for the listener, not for how the voices sound in your head. Let the narrator be the professional, but help with pronunciations and essential guidance.
Bryan: When you make your request, frame it as collaborative quality control. Narrators do not want a director, but they appreciate early input that prevents rework. I have never had a narrator refuse when I present it that way.
Thomas: I saw an author who wanted 20 text changes after recording because the book had not been tightly edited. The narrator refused, and she was stuck. How do you avoid that?
Bryan: We live in a world of print-on-demand and easy ebook updates, but audio is different. You should not go to layout—or audio—without a professional edit. Once recorded, your audiobook is largely locked.
Before you accept the final project, narrators must fix errors they made, not errors you made. Most will help with reasonable author changes, but they are not obligated to make extensive rewrites.
Step 8: Listen to the Recording and Prepare Additional Files
Bryan: Listen to the entire book with the manuscript in front of you. The narrator will make occasional substitutions. My rule is to request changes only if the meaning, mood, or your author voice is affected. If “happy” becomes “glad,” I usually let it go. You are within your rights to request every change, but be judicious.
While production is underway, prepare two additional items. First, create a square audiobook cover. Do not stretch your ebook cover.
Second, consider including a PDF companion. Fantasy and sci-fi often include maps. Business books have charts and graphs that are hard to describe in audio. Most platforms, including Audible, allow a PDF attachment.
I add a brief note at the beginning and end of the audiobook: “There is a PDF companion with maps, figures, or diagrams.” In the text, I might write, “See figure 1 in the accompanying PDF.” The PDF is also a good place for reader magnets and extras, in addition to the promised content.
Thomas: It’s a great feature. The narrator won’t create the PDF for you, and you wouldn’t want them to. This is one of those areas where the author needs to take the initiative. The same is true for the square cover graphic and the metadata. Make sure your chapter titles and structure are correct.
When you listen through the entire audiobook at the end, you can catch recording errors. Sometimes narrators re-record a line they didn’t like, and both versions accidentally end up in the file. I’ve heard that even in professionally produced audiobooks from major publishers. So listen carefully before approving the final version. It will help ensure a more polished result.
Bryan: Absolutely. ACX has the highest quality standards in the industry. If your audiobook passes their approval, you can later distribute it through other platforms, such as Spotify’s Authors program (formerly Findaway Voices).
ACX performs a ten-business-day quality assurance review. Unlike KDP, which takes about three days, ACX often uses the full two weeks. If you’re planning a launch date, build in that extra time. It’s better to have the book go live early than to miss your release date because ACX is still reviewing it.
You also get up to two rounds of corrections with your narrator-producer before the project is finalized. After that, you must either accept or reject it, and disputes go through a moderation process.
How strict are ACX’s technical requirements?
Thomas: If it’s your narrator’s first audiobook, don’t be surprised if ACX rejects it the first time. The technical requirements are exacting. The audio must fall within specific ranges for volume, compression, and silence before each chapter. New narrators often miss one of those details and get a rejection.
Give yourself some buffer time. It’s fine if your audiobook goes live a few days early, but don’t schedule your launch too close to your upload date.
Bryan: Technical checks like sample rates, noise floors, and so on are automatically verified when the files are uploaded. If a file doesn’t meet those standards, it can’t be submitted. The two-week review process is mainly for human (or possibly AI-assisted) quality control.
Reviewers spot-check for things like background noise, mic pops, or mouse clicks. They don’t listen to the entire audiobook, so small errors can still slip through. That’s why your final listen-through is so important.
Step 9: Download Your Audiobook Files
Thomas: Once the audiobook goes live on Audible, can authors download their files and upload them elsewhere if they decide to go wide later?
Bryan: Yes, and you should. Download a copy of your audiobook files—they belong to you. If you’ve gone exclusive with Audible, that includes distribution on Amazon, Audible, and Apple Books. Exclusivity lasts seven years, but ACX allows one change during that period.
You can switch from exclusive to nonexclusive (or vice versa) one time, after being enrolled for at least 90 days. Once you go nonexclusive, you can upload your files to other distributors like Spotify’s Authors platform.
Step 10: Upload to Additional Distributors
There, you’ll go through a similar setup process by uploading each chapter or segment individually, along with your table of contents. Spotify offers distribution to around 30 different retailers. You can choose which ones you want.
If you produced your audiobook through ACX, don’t use another distributor send it to Audible. That just adds an extra middleman who takes a cut of your royalties.
Thomas: It’s the same principle as publishing through Amazon KDP. Even if you’re going wide, upload directly to Amazon for your Kindle and print editions. Going through third-party aggregators like PublishDrive complicates things and splits your data.
Remember that a great audiobook alone won’t generate sales. You still need to promote it. The good news is that being on Amazon helps, because your audiobook will automatically appear alongside your ebook and paperback. Some readers will choose audio instead of print.
Podcast listeners are audiobook buyers. The more you market on podcasts, the more audiobooks you’ll sell.
Learn more about How to Market Your Audiobook.
Connect with Bryan
Thomas: Where can readers connect with you and get help in bringing their audiobook to the market?
Bryan: I’m a consultant with My Word Publishing in Denver. You can find me at contact me through the team page. We provide a range of services, including audiobook consulting.
I teach a webinar about once a quarter that walks you through the entire ACX process with screenshots and notes. It’s about $40 dollars, which is much cheaper than hiring me one-on-one, and it covers everything you need to know to produce your own audiobook.
Contact Bryan for more information on upcoming webinars.
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